 This video might be a little more informational than usual, but don't worry, drinks are coming. Another rum video. Why do I love rum so much? Maybe I missed my true calling. Actually, can you excuse me for one second? Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. One thing I find interesting about rum is how common it is for companies to put out rum they didn't actually make. For example, this little guy. If you examined the bottle, you'd know it's Jamaican, but beyond that, you'd have no idea where exactly it came from. Now, it's not the case with this bottle, but one explanation for this phenomenon is that distilleries will sell their product to middlemen who then sell it to independent bottleers who turn around and sell it to us. One important thing before I continue, I have no problem with this practice. In fact, I love that this model exists because it's given me some of the best rums in my collection, which brings me to today's video. Today I'm trying an unaged, a six-year-old, and a nine-year-old rum, all from different brands, but all three from the same distillery, Hampton, which has been making rums since 1753 and is much beloved among the rum woke. First up is rum fire. The story is that this is based on a sort of Jamaican moonshine that distillery workers at Hampton used to siphon off for themselves. It's bottled at 63% EVV, so no smoking. As you can see, I'm a big fan of this stuff. And I can smell it already. Open this one in a crowded room and everyone will know. Smell of alcohol is overwhelming. Also, freshly cut grass. Yeah. A violent explosion of flavor. A lot of times when I talk about rum, I say they taste like banana, pineapple, etc. Those notes are all here, but everything is young and underripe. Some of my vegetable notes too. Also, all Jamaican rum has a quality most commonly referred to as hogo or funk. It's not present in all Jamaican rums equally, but this has it in spades. This is maybe the most aggressive rum I've ever had, and no joke, I could probably drink it every day. Just don't get me started on the label. Next up is our friend from before. Yes, this is Hampton juice. Stolen overproof is the last of a rare batch of pot-still rum aged six years in expert in barrels. This one clocks in at 61.5% EVV. More refined, but still wild. Explosive fruit flavors, guava, pineapple. Plenty of funk, but overwrite tropical fruit dominates. Most rum is a word. Some rums are a sentence. This rum is a paragraph. I said I could probably drink the last one every day. I could definitely drink this one every day. Good thing I bought a case. Last up is Golden Devil single cask. Nine years old and because it came from only one barrel, this bottle is one of only 273. This one is 62.7% APV. If you've been paying attention, and it's okay if you haven't, you may have noticed that even though it's three years older than the last bottle, it's slightly stronger. This is a good time to point out that while these three rums came from the same distillery, they all had different paths, and in the glass tell very different stories. If you put rum fire in a barrel for six or nine years, you won't necessarily end up with these other two bottles. Intensely aromatic. A lot of people would say this smells like industrial cleaner. I kind of like it. There's also a distinct sour milk note. I'm not kidding. All these rums are hot, but man, this one thick and oily, burnt fruit, petrol. This one's intense, but I do like it. One thing rum nerds like to do is let rum sit for a minute or two to open up, so hang tight. Five minutes later. This is somehow more intense. It kind of tastes like a tire fire, but I do like it. I'm going to do something I don't usually do with rum, which is add a few drops of water. It's a lot more drinkable. I'm confident that if you gave this to a whiskey nut that it never had rum this intense, they'd like it. Now, I can't make three daqueries because I'm afraid I'll die, so I'm only going to make one, and I'm going to make it with a stolen overproof. Look at that color. Beautiful. It's been said plenty of times before, but a daquerie is one of the finest drinks a person can enjoy, provided they use good rum. Thankfully, we have tons of options, and if your definition of good rum differs from mine, that's okay too. And this stuff is still out there. There are only 5,000 cases, but I checked earlier this week, and my local grog shop still has some. Stolen opted to only package it in 375ml bottles, which in my opinion is a good thing. It means there's more to go around. Yeah, the Golden Devil is gone, but the rum fire and the stolen aren't, and if you can get your hands on some, I say do it. They're a couple of the most memorable rums I've ever had. If you liked it and liked it, consider subscribing if you haven't already, and if there's something you think I should try, let me know in the comments. Stay safe, follow the advice of professionals, and drink more rum.